Humanity's Edge
by 7ra5hy
Summary: A swift escape. A group of strangers, who have to become a team to survive. A desperate search for freedom and happiness. A fight against all odds. And a pyromaniac right in the middle of it.
1. Chapter 1

**1.**

_I ran my fingers through the wet sand, smiling. It was hot on the beach, there was a little sweat on my neck, but I didn't bother to wipe it away. I had found something more important, something interesting. My small hands kept crawling through the tiny stones, then I concentrated, as much as a seven-year-old could, and pressed my right palm onto the surface of the ground. After a few seconds I lifted it and grinned widely. Like the last few times, the sand had gotten all shiny and hard. I could even lift my print from the earth if I wanted to. "Again, again." Fanatically, I did it over and over, but after a while it got slightly boring. Maybe Bobby would know what to do next. "Bobby! Come on, I wanna show you my power. I can make diamond-hands!"_

_But my best friend, stupid as he was, didn't leave the water and just kept building sandcastles in the mud. Fine, I though, I'm gonna show Mum. "Mummy!", I tapped onto her shoulder and she screamed. "What?", I asked, thinking I just scared her again. Then I noticed the red spot on her skin where my fingers had touched her. "Uh... sorry?" _

_"Honey, what did you throw at me? This is dangerous, please stop", said my Mum, sitting up and eying me with that annoyed glance of hers. "But... but, I can make diamonds!", I protested. That finally got her attention. She followed me to the shiny hand-prints all over our place at the beach, getting angrier every time I showed her another one. "Where did you get these?", she demanded, a little pale. _

_"No, I created them. Look!" When I made a step in her direction, she took one backwards, her face horrified. "Mummy..." _

_Faster than she could stumble back, followed her. In my left hand was my best glass-figurine, which I dropped carelessly. It crashed on the sand and broke into two pieces. Carefully not to touch the rest of my creation, I stepped over it. My mind couldn't process why my mother didn't like what I did, so I would just stop, as always. _

_"Okay, never doing this again", I promised and hugged her legs. She screamed again and did the unforgivable: her feet kicked me right in the stomach. "Ouch!", trembling, I fell on my butt and started to cry. It hurt and even worse was the look of pure terror in Mum's face. Red lines showed exactly where my grip had burned her. "Mummy. Mummy?" _

_She ran into the surf, grabbed Bobby and went for our car. "Are we leaving?", I asked, tears still on my cheeks and rather curious than in pain. When I got up, she pointed her finger at me and said: "You! Stay away from my family! Don't..." With flying hands she opened the car and stuffed the stunned child into the backseat. "Don't you follow us! I will call the police! Get away, freak!"_

_Freak. _**The word kept spinning in Pyro's head. His vision cleared and he could ****see a girl standing in front of him, her evil snoot just inches from his body, but still unreachable. "You got enough?", she asked, smiling and cupping his face. Forcefully, he pulled himself from her grip. "No." Her smile just deepened. **

_"He can't stay", a male voice said. "I know, I know", answered a female one, just outside the door of his small room. "On the other hand: we can't throw him out in the middle of the night. He's just a kid..."_

_"Really? That guy is a menace! He's a danger to everyone; the other kids, even to us. When he is on edge, his surroundings tend to erupt in flames! Dear Heaven, we can't keep that boy a minute longer."_

_"You are right, I understand. It's just... he looks so innocent, don't you think?"_

_"Yeah, the devil looked innocent once as well", muttered the other, male voice. I didn't have to see their faces to know who they were. Meg and James, the leaders of the children's home I'd been sent to. They were afraid, just like his mom had been. Humans. Inside me, the anger I had felt during these last weeks began to grow again. Which right did they have to judge me? It wasn't my fault. Not entirely, at least. People had mocked me and there was this open fireplace... I didn't even notice the heat increasing at first. And seriously, who didn't want to set their teacher on fire once a lesson? _

_I watched them entering the room. "You need to go, John." Still, that caught me off guard. I had thought they would at least try to explain or find an excuse. James hadn't even stopped smoking his disgusting cigarettes. _

_These harsh words were like knifes, damaging my unstable constitution even more. "Fuck ya all!", I shouted, full of hate and frustration and fear. The spark I felt on the cigarette expanded and a tiny flame occurred. "John, pack your things and then... we will drive you wherever you want", Meg said. How I resented her worried voice. With all my focus on the flame, I willed it to race along the cigarettes, meet the sleeve of James ugly sweatshirt and send flames across his body. Nothing happened, except for my eyes getting all watery. "I don't give a shit about you guys", I mumbled. It didn't sound very convincing. James laughed softly: "Sure, boy. Keep going, we don't care either." That sound, that laughter finally triggered the feeling in me. I could get a hold on the fire. Now, I thought and the room exploded into screams. Although the flame hadn't even gotten to James elbow. "John!" Meg panicked and opened the door. "Scaredycat", I whispered, rage clouding my vision. "And you want to leave me on the streets?" Sparks from James pullover got into her hair and suddenly she was on fire. _

_"Uh..." In disbelief, I stared at the two adults on the floor. The smell of steak hit me. Burned flesh. James wasn't moving anymore and Meg's eyes were on me. "Help. Help me, John!" "Okay", I said generously, because I didn't want to cause any permanent damage, but the flames wouldn't obey my command as usually. "I... I can't", I told her, my eyes getting wider and wider. Why wasn't James getting up? _

_The whole chamber was surrounded by flames, heat, which I couldn't bear. "Stop!" On the ground, the small carpet beneath my bare feet began to smoke and fear made my body tingle. "Please stop", I told the fire. It didn't. Instead, it licked at my pajamas. Hot, way to hot for me. My own high-pitched voice joined Meg's cries. _

"**You know, I'm starting to loose my patience", clarified the girl in front of Pyro and sat down on a chair nearby. "Next one's gonna be worse. That's the good thing about you, : you have a full load of crappy memories to choose from. And when they are all used, we can start to repeat my favorites over and over. Or change a few details, increase certain emotions... " **

**The boy couldn't keep himself from shivering. First, it was freezing in his little prison and second, he really didn't want to try her anymore. Still, the other possibility would be worse, thinking long term. "Giving up, Sparky?"**

"**Hell, no", he said, readying himself for another round – which didn't come. She laughed, obviously happy for a second, then a bored expression filled her features again. "I can give you hell."**

_Bobby's blue eyes met my dark brown ones. For a moment we just stared at each other, then Bobby let out a sigh. "Johnny, what are we gonna do about ya?" He knew what was coming. One of Mr. Perfect's sermons about his problems. Oh come on, I thought, don't do that again. "You can't get into fights every time something isn't your way, John", began Bobby. _

_"Look", I said, trying not to sound annoyed. _

_"No, YOU look, Pyro!", he shouted, standing up from the picnic table and showing me into a chair. I let it happen and plummeted onto the wood. Normally, he wasn't as agitated as he was now. Maybe after this conversation, but not at the start. "One of these times I'm not gonna be around to stop you. And then we'll have a huge disaster, you'll get a session with the professor - damn, John. Are you even listening? I think they're going to throw you out if you don't change your behavior soon."_

_Ouch. That hurt. "You're not the white knight you think you are, Bobby. Everybody has flaws, buddy, so don't give me that shit like you are my safe-keeper." _

_"At least I can handle my own power." Again, I saw the difference between us. He was calm, his hands crossed in his lap. I was on fire, as you speak. It was hard not to get up and punch something, but I didn't want to give him that satisfaction. "Fine. But what about you and that whore?" Even before I said it, I knew it was a mistake for so many reasons. Our arguments had never been personal like that and I didn't even have a point. Marie, aka Rogue, was a nice girl, rather prude than slutty. I liked her, more than I'd admit. But she fell for Bobby, of course. He was faultless. Admirable. Controlled. He should start to give autographs._

_"What. Did. You. Say."_

_"I'm talking about Rogue and your secret dates during the nights", I said. Sure, I could've just apologized, but I was far too proud. "Never use that word again in the same sentence with Rogue. Ever." Now there was anger in my friend's voice. His fists were pressed to his side._

_"Whore. She's nothing but a dirty..." The first blow hit me in the face and my chair was knocked to the ground. We fought wordlessly, both using our mutant abilities, trying to hurt the other one for the first time in our life. And, seeing his force unleashed for real, I suddenly doubted I could overpower him. He was more controlled, everybody loved him and he was stronger. Where did that leave me?_

_My fire dimmed, then I shut it down. The cold made me crawl up on the ground like a baby. Lying there, I welcomed the physical pain. "Never", Bobby reminded me and kicked my body, wandered off and disappeared into the building. For a while I couldn't move, because the pain was to great, but it was nothing compared to the hurt and shame inside me. _

**If Pyro hadn't already been sitting, he would have collapsed. His determination was beginning to fade under her mischievous smile. He was faltering and she knew it. "You don't have to make this any harder. Just sign the thing and you'll be free." Pyro laughed weakly at that. "Yeah, I'd be bound forever, but totally free, right?"**

"**You can't have everything, darling", replied the girl. "Piss off", he said and was delighted to see hidden disgruntlement in her face. **

_I should have seen it coming. As soon as Bobby, Rogue, Logan, Scott and all my other old friends – now enemies – stepped onto the battlefield, I should have known we had already lost. Logan was taking up Phoenix, Storm was raging on our, my troops and Bobby came at me. Great, I thought, I'm ready for him. No way he's gonna be better than me. _

_How much I'd been wrong. I gave it my best shot, a never ending stream of fire and he tried to hold it with his ice. Bobby crumbled, my flames nearly touching his body and I stepped closer, smiling triumphantly. But when I could see his face, there was not despair. That son of a bitch was actually grinning widely. "Really?", I said and gave everything. He just got up and reached for my hands. His skin had changed into pure cold, blue and steaming. Before I even knew what was happening, the ice circled around my own arms. "What?" I couldn't believe he had mastered the transformation, allowing his body to become ice. Now he was untouchable, in contrast to me. His white-blue head crashed against mine when he pulled my arms closer. The cold, it was just to much for me. Lightning shot through my head, everything went black. _

_The air was filled with fog when I awoke again. My body was sprawled on the earth, arms and legs to both sides. Looking around me, I noticed the bodies everywhere. Mutants, human soldiers, friends. _

_Nobody seemed to be alive. "But who won?", I asked myself, loudly. Maybe someone would hear me. The fog, which was by closer examination rather smoke, cleared when I strong wind appeared out of nowhere. Storm, I thought, happy to see almost any person. They are gonna take me with them, right? But the breeze turned out to be just a breeze, so I made my way through the dead, until I heard a known voice. "Pyro!" _

"_Mystique." Turning around, I wanted to welcome her and ask for news. The shape-changing woman had been one of my closest comrades, so her feet against me chest was quite a surprise. She pushed me to the ground and placed her bare foot on my throat. Grunting from the pain, I had to resist the urge to raise my hands and put the foot away. When I moved, she would knock me out, maybe even kill me – that I knew from experience. "What happened?" My voice was thinner than I had hoped._

"_What do you think happened? Xavier's people won, the humans showed up and declared this a military forbidden zone. They're cleaning up the area by now, looking for any survivors to experiment on. You're screwed, scum." I had almost asked her why she called me that, but I guess I knew. In her eyes, I was nothing but a weakling, something she hated as much as the humans. _

"_Where is the brotherhood?"_

"_Dead, mostly. Those who aren't have been taken by the government or fled. There won't be a reassembling, dick." Okay, this was really bad news, although I had suspected it. "And why am I screwed? I'll just burn my way out of here, Raven." Not a good idea, using her normal name even by accident. The pressure on my neck increased, making it hard to breath. "Your abilities are useless. They found a way to max out the kiddo's talent. Most of the island is mutant-free at the moment", replied Mystique, her mouth grim. With that, she bend down and kissed me on the forehead. "Bye, Johnny."_

"_Wait!", I started, but her hand connected with my temple and I was out again, left with the overwhelming feeling of loneliness. _


	2. Chapter 2

2_._

"Enough!" For a second, Pyro thought it had been him, begging her to stop. But no, he wouldn't have done that, would he? Slowly, he opened his eyes and was shocked to feel salt in his mouth. Tears. The girl was looking at the door, a surprised tone in her question. "Didn't you say I'd get as much time as I needed?"

The man's answer was a short, harsh. "No. We need to talk." Pyro, still a little caught in his nightmares, recognized the voice. That man had woken him, and now he was standing outside his cell. Must be her supervisor, he thought, not really caring. Whatever it was that gave him a break, it was welcome.

"Fine!", the girl snapped, her fair black hair swinging behind her back when she mechanically turned and opened the door with her key-card. "What's so urgent? What the hell..." Her squeal was silenced abruptly and her motionless body fell into the cell. Right away, Pyro began to struggle against the ropes that bound him to the chair. He had to get out, a better chance wouldn't come. "Hi..." Another girl stepped into the room and looked around cautiously. Pyro froze. She was an exact copy of his torturer, just her face was a little rounder, the hair a light brown and bushy, the smile real and warm.

"Sorry, wrong apartment", mumbled the girl and exited, pulling out a mobile phone. What? Stunned, Pyro let her go, then he found his balance again and shouted after her. "Wait! Come back! You can't just walk away!" No answer. "Help me! Please? C'mon, bitch, you can't be serious!"

"That is not a nice word", replied the girl in a melodic sentence which told him she wasn't from around. Her upper body became visible when she peeked into his cell again. "Well..." Within seconds, she seemed to make a choice and nodded. "Fine." Pyro shivered. The exact copy of her sister, same words.

"But don't cause any problems,okay?", said she, cutting the rope with a dagger she handed him afterward. "Can you walk?" "Sure", he'd wanted to say, but the same moment he stood, he changed his mind. "Not really. Sorry."

The trepidation got worse when he entered the hall, heavily putting his weight on her shoulders. "How long have you been down there?", asked the girl. "One or two days."

"Liar", she told him and grinned, "Let's try this differently. How many dreams did she give you and how often have you slept between them?" The conversation was weird, even for Pyro's standards. Furthermore, he had to focus on staying upright, his body shaking like crazy. "I need clothes", he said, ignoring her strange questions. He couldn't break out of a whatever-this-was just in his undershorts.

Without a warning, she stepped aside and let his body fall to the ground. Pyro caught himself in a sitting position and glared at her severe face. "What was that for?" "I'd like an answer to my question or I'm just gonna leave."

Ah, that was the way she was gonna play it. Again, he had to choke back his pride and take her hand to get up. "Three dreams, sleeping just once... I guess. I can't really remember. How is that even possible?"

"It's part of what she does. And you have been there at least a week, maybe even two." Unwilling to believe her, he changed topics. "Who are you anyway? And what are you doing here? Not that I don't appreciate the rescue, but I got the feeling I wasn't the primary target." Chuckling, she came to a halt in front of a corner. "My name is Mary. Nice to meet you, …?" "Pyro", he said after a moment of thinking. She turned around, cocking a brow. "What kind of a name is that?"

"It's, well, a codename. Don't you know any other mutants? We all have one."

"I don't", she answered bluntly, "and I'm a mutant, although just been a few days yet."

"Then that explains why you don't have a second name. You have to think of something that refers to your ability", Pyro explained patiently.

"So I take it you're a pyromaniac? Very subtle."

He didn't know what they were waiting for, but let her take the lead. Her plan had been good 'till now. Just after he thought that, the alarm went off. "Finally!", Mary said, obviously excited. "Some action!"

The 'action' came running in form of half a dozen soldiers. "They are way to many", Pyro muttered to himself. His arms were still shaking violently, but at least he could feel them again. "You got a lighter?", he asked, unsure whether his power would even work. "Quiet!", she hissed, eyes closed. The men had almost gotten to the corner, in a few seconds they would see the escapees. Suddenly all the tension went out of the girls body. She sighed heavily and every single guard turned his head in her direction. In unison they collapsed. Pyro acted quickly, caught Mary when she blacked out and woke her with a soft clap on both cheeks. "No bedtime just yet, Sleeping Beauty."

"Didn't mean to", answered Mary, blushed and together they walked past the men. "What did you do to them?", Pyro wanted to know as soon as they had reached the stairs on the end of the hall, his curiosity getting the best of him. "They think there is a car on top of them", said Mary. She shoved her open hair back and opened the thick metal door. Blazing sunlight hit the two of them and they were blinded. "Ow."

The girl recovered first and dragged him over an empty space, which seemed to be a parking lot. "There they are!" Someone was shouting from the roof of the building. Seconds later he screamed and got behind a discharge ventilation well, but it was already too late. "We need to hurry", Pyro said, looking for an escape route. "Get to the end of the street", Mary advised, then turned around to face the upcoming soldiers.

He ran as fast as he could, each step a little bigger than the last one, hoping it would be enough. "Dammit, this is embarrassing", he said to himself. "I should be saving her, not the other way around." "Run!" Mary had caught up with him, her face pale and sweat on her forehead. Pyro realized what had happened. "You can't stop them, can you?"

"Yeah, it doesn't work when I'm stressed."

"Good thing you told me so early."

"I know!", she grinned, exasperated. "To my defense: you didn't ask."

"How was I supposed to know?"

"I told you I didn't have much experience. Stop!" The road ended in a crossing. There were multiple highways one could choose from – if you had a car. A dark green van was passing by, then slowed down and opened the backdoor. "Our ride is here", Mary mentioned needlessly and jumped into the seat, pulling him along.

"If that isn't lovely Mary-Ann!" A guy from the front seat shouted. "And you've brought company!" The man was young, not much older than Pyro. His skin was black, his dark hair cropped short in an African style. The only light things on his body were a golden necklace and his white teeth, which were smirking at the girl. "Yeah, not the one we wanted, but at least he is handsome, unlike my other companions."

"You don't think I'm hot?", the blond man, who had pulled her into the car, asked miserably. "Nah, Thomas, you really need to get a haircut first." "There is nothing wrong with my hair!", the surfer dude chuntered. He was tanned, wore a colorful shirt and beige trousers. His hair was indeed shaggy and long, although it seemed to be messy on purpose_. _"And his hair isn't in a better shape!", he exclaimed and pointed at Pyro, "You only like him better because he doesn't wear any clothes."

All eyes turned to him and Pyro felt his face getting warm. "That's not exactly my fault..." Mary was holding back a laugh and patted his shoulder. "Never mind them, they are just jealous. Liss, why don't you see if we can borrow Pyro some jeans?" There was, Pyro saw her just after she moved, another member in the car. A tiny girl, at most six years old, was pressed against the wall, watching him with huge eyes. "Ah, people", Mary said, while the little girl climbed into the trunk compartment, "this is Pyro. Pyro, these are the people."

"I'm Thomas." The blond man shook his hand fiercely. "Our driver goes by the name Wolf. Everybody calls him like that, I'm not even sure what his real name is. And that girl in the back, that's his sister Lissianna, so don't you scare her or anything."

"I'm okay", niggled the child and threw a pair of jeans at Pyro. Shoes and a black t-shirt followed. "He doesn't look dangerous. And he was naked."


	3. Chapter 3

**3.**

They drove in silence for a while until Liss began to ask a million questions. "So, Pyro?" He curly hair was put into an updo, which swung around her head as she turned in her seat. "Yes, Lissianna?"

"It's just Liss", she snapped, trying to sound like an adult, "And why do you have such a strange name?" "Because", Mary replied, "they use to give mutants another name. It's a secret codename they just tell their friends and special girls like you."

"Really?" Her mouth opened breathlessly, showing a gap between her front teeth. "Actually, many mutants have one of these. They match their abilities", Pyro offered, a small smirk on his lips. Children believed about anything. Innocent little things, he thought, they have yet to learn how cruel the world is. "Does that mean...", she stabbed him with her finger, "Mary and Thomas and Wolf have to get one? I wanna choose!"

Thinking about that, he nodded. It would be wise to use different names when they were on the run, kept their families safe. "You know, she's right", Wolf said. The smile he directed at Pyro wasn't unfriendly, on the other hand definitely not welcoming either. "But I already have a pretty fitting one. I guess I'm just going to stick with Wolf."

"So, what about Thomas? We could call you Flowers", Liss asked, seeing name-calling as a possible entertaining game. "Haha, no!" The man held his hands up in a gesture of defense. "Really, no!"

"Oh, come on! That sounds cute", Mary joined the conversation. Thomas gave her a look that clearly meant she'd get it all back when it was her turn.

"What about Chapli? That's short for 'Chatting with plants, sometimes insects?'", Liss wanted to know, completely serious. "I don't talk to insects."

"Well, but I had to get an 'I' from somewhere, didn't I?"

Before they could start a fight, Pyro interrupted the two of them. "What is it you do, exactly?" He couldn't believe what role he had taken in this company, normally he was always up for fights, many times the cause of it by throwing in sarcastic comments. Must be the tiredness, he decided.

Thomas was busy shooting evil glances at Lissianna, so Mary answered. "My childish little friend over here", she nudged him, "can grow plants incredibly fast. It works best with flowers and twines, he can't manage trees. And when there are plants, they seem to become healthier when he's around."

"He will be my gardener when I become princess", Liss told him.

"We found the perfect name for you", Wolf said without looking away from the crowded streets. They had driven downtown all the time, mixing with normal humans. Reflexively, Pyro ducked a little when a police-car raced by. After all, he was still a known terrorist of the brotherhood. "You shall be named Princess."

"Yay!" The small girl exploded into cheers while Mary whispered to Pyro: "She's a hundred percent human, you know? And that really bugs her. Although I think Wolf is rather happy about it."

The blond surfer guy closed his eyes, eager to start a new discussion. "And Mary-Ann?"

"I don't need...", she started, then grinned and shut up when four wicked glances hit her. "Dreams and illusions?", asked the pyromaniac. "Yeah, still developing. I hope my abilities will become a little stronger with time. So far I've only been able to do my sister's stuff", she blushed deeply and assured them she'd never given anyone nightmares. "And cars. I can make people think the is one blocking the street, another one that looks just like ours or..."

"... or that there is a car on their body", finished Pyro, earnest. Illusions could be a great weapon, both in a fight and on other missions. Very versatile. "What was the name of this guy with the dreams? That one I had to learn by heart for history."

"Morpheus, Greek god of dreams", Wolf replied instantly.

"You can't name me after a guy, Liss. It sounds way to masculine", Mary said thoughtfully, "The idea isn't so bad, anyway. What do you think of Màyà? She was, if I remember correctly, the goddess of illusions in Buddhism and Hinduism."

"Cool", Lissianna agreed, "Suits you." Even Thomas and Wolf nodded approvingly. "So we got Wolf, Princess, Flowers", the blond man shot her another evil glance, "Maya and... uh, what was the name of the naked man again?"

"Pyro", Mary said, smirking at the small girl. "You're not going to let that go so fast, are ya?"

"No", said Liss and presented everyone her huge smile, which was cute with her missing tooth, Pyro decided. He couldn't be mad at the young human. I despise that race, he reminded himself strictly. They are lower beings, ants below my feet. Why couldn't he make himself believe it then, watching Liss?

"So, Pyro?"

"Yes, Princess?"

"Can you show me what a pyromant does?"

He smiled at that, even though he saw Wolf tense in the driver's seat. The black guy's normally full lips got thinner, the perfect curve of his jaw changed. Wolf looks like one of these boring roman statues, just his hair is wrong. And his countenance at the moment, Pyro thought, eying the boy. Beautiful, but not masculine at all.

"Anything for the majesty, but it's pyromaniac or pyrokinetic", he corrected without looking away from Wolf. Maybe a challenge was fitting. "And I'd rather show you. Does anyone have a lighter?"

"You asked that same question in the facility. I thought you were pretty crazy then...", Mary remembered, her voice trailing off as she shuffled through a bag at her feet. "Here you go, Sparky", Wolf said when the girl didn't find anything.

"Sparks are the right keyword, indeed", he answered, biting back the comments he had in mind about the nickname.

His hands handled the lighter with an easiness he had missed a lot while being bound to that bloody chair. Once the flame flickered, he caught the fire in his palm and showed it to the stunned girls next to him. "Sweet", Liss murmured, reaching out to touch the flame. "Hey, that's hot!", Pyro warned and transformed the hot element into a hovering ball, then a burning crown around his wrist. "Sweet", Liss repeated. Pyro let the flames crawl to his fingertip and stared at Wolf, whose grim mouth opened in a dangerous smile. "Interesting", was all he said, before he turned his attention back to the road.

Afterward, Thomas and Mary kept pestering him with questions. How had he learned to control his ability? Was it always so easy to make it do whatever he wanted? When had he found out he was a mutant? Did he know about the war between Xavier and Magneto?

None of them even asked if he'd been part of it and Pyro was glad about it. Like that, he could satisfy them with smart-ass comments and half-truths, never lying, but never completely honest, too.

Princess had long fallen asleep and now Thomas volunteered to drive, while Wolf rested in the front passenger's seat. "Why were you down there, in that room I found you?", Mary wanted to know, playing with a strand of he nut-brown hair.

"They wanted me to sign a contract. Problem was, I didn't cooperate that much. And the rotten contract was written in mutant-blood, literally. No idea why, but I had a really bad feeling about that paper." His voice was, just like hers, a low whisper, because he didn't want to wake up the child.

"Yeah, but that's not really the answer I wanted to get. How did you get down there, John?" He had admitted his human name to her a few minutes ago, and now she kept using it instead of his real one. "I was surprised in my sleep and taken. That's about it", he said. Clearly, further questions were unwanted. "My turn", the smirk returning to his lips, he leaned closer to her, trying to make her move backwards. "Why were you down there, Maya?"

"I was looking for someone."

"Who?"

"A friend."

"Whose name is?"

"Nate."

"Who's that?"

"A friend."

"Why did you think he was in that room?"

"We had information about a young, male, powerful mutant being held there. And then there was Delilah."

"Who's that?"

"The girl in the cell with you."

"Your sister?"

"Yes." Further questions in that direction unwanted.

They looked at each other, then Mary began to chuckle. "You really have a bad influence on me. I start to avoid questions like a criminal."

"So? We are on the run, aren't we? Where are we going anyway?"

"To a safe place", the girl grinned, her ice-blue eyes amused.

"Huh. You're talented at that. Can you at least tell me what happened after the final battle, as you call it?"

"Well, Xavier won. He told the humans what had happened, but they weren't very happy about it. There was a huge debate about mutants all over again and this time, the radicals got the upper hand. They convinced the prime minister of the thread mutants were to the harmless inhabitants and presented the easy solution. Cure for everyone, no matter what the patient wants." She blinked, rubbed her face and went on. "Army and special forces tracked us down, setting up traps and distress call-lines for any tips about mutants. There was even a reward for information, that led to the seizure of a target. That's what we are, you know? Targets. Nothing but sighting marks for their so called medicine."

Silence fell, until Pyro shrugged. "There must have been resistance. Always is."

"Yeah. Xavier tried with diplomacy."

"And?"

"There is another... uh, rather violent group of mutants. They fire back, I guess. Blowing up companies, which produce the cure and stuff."

"Sounds like the kind of people we should get in touch with", Pyro mused. He was astonished, when Mary laughed bitterly. Such despair was strange on her young features. "Nah, they just exist for the cause, the don't care whether a single member gets killed or... something. And you've already met them." It took a few seconds till he made the connection. "Your sister and her friends?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry."

"Not your fault, John."

Relief spread over her face when Thomas stopped the car and got out. "We're home", Liss said, jumping out of her seat. She had woken when they'd slowed down. The small girl hugged Wolf and ran towards a small, shabby hut. Walls and windows were still intact, the garden and the driveway had obviously been unused for a long time. "It's for sale." Thomas pointed at an overgrown sign next to the door. "We're in the middle of nowhere, nobody wants to live here. Lucky for us", Wolf explained shortly, before he opened the door and followed his sister inside.

"Why are you staying in one place?", Pyro asked curiously, slipping the lighter into his pocket. "Because", Mary answered, "we kinda have an injured person. You'll understand when you see him."

The windows were so dirty, the sun shining into the living room was dimmed to a shadowy twilight. Cozy, Pyro thought sarcastically, taking in the dust on the empty shelves and the missing color everywhere. There were mattresses on the floor, a few pillows, some food on the table and a small camping stove. And a person lying on the furthest bed, his back to the newcomers. It was only when he turned, that Pyro recognized him.

"Bobby Drake."


End file.
